The newspaper has cited information from Curley's wife and attorney. Curley had part of one lung removed in 2010 and is dealing with a recurrence of the cancer, it reported.

Penn State has placed Curley on leave while he faces perjury and failure-to-report charges related to the Jerry Sandusky child-sexual-abuse case. Curley, through his legal counsel, has said that he is innocent.

Former university head football Coach Joe Paterno, fired as the scandal unfolded in November, also has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Son Jay Paterno told ESPN that his father is "fighting like crazy" to combat the disease.